Jason is a Higher Education- Student Affairs Administration student and an advising graduate assistant for the Padnos College of Engineering department. A typical day varies depending on what time of year it is and what is needed by students. Jason is currently working on first-year holds, which is when a student has a registration hold on their account due to students being required to meet with advisors in their first year. Jason typically has about 4 appointments a day to discuss a student’s first year and any recommendations on what to take the following year.

Jason has also been a part of the search committee hiring a new advisor to take his place after he graduates. He explained how much he enjoyed being on the other side of the table for the interview process. He found the experience of being the interviewer to be extremely beneficial not only for his future job interviews but also for his future role in academia.

Jason has appreciated working in a small team and enjoys hearing about different processes in the office. He explained how each person’s unique skills bring new ideas to the office. When pursuing this GA position, he was specifically looking forward to having student interaction and expanding on his previous advising experience in new student orientation. He enjoys helping students in a difficult program, such as engineering.

Jason finds the collaboration aspect of his job to be most fulfilling. He emphasized the importance of having a supportive team and how grateful he is to have one. Jason appreciates the unique aspects that build off each other in the office, which help bring supportive energy to the environment.

When looking at his future career, Jason thinks his GA position set him up great for the job search as he is soon to be entering the job market. A major goal Jason had for himself in this position was to host appointments independently, and he achieved that in his two years of experience. He sees the drastic changes within himself from when he started the position to where he is now and is extremely grateful that his job provided him with the tools needed to go into the field. He feels confident in his problem-solving and organizational skills, as well as his ability to provide resources to students that assist in furthering their education. Jason is planning to pursue a career in either housing/resident life or academic advising with first- and second-year undergraduate students.

We wish you the best of luck, Jason!